The complete downlow on the Dolphins WRs

Well, following the Patrick Turner post, I'd like to follow the theme and let you know what Tony Sparano said about the rest of the wide receiver situation -- including the possibility of acquiring either Terrell Owens or Brandon Marshall.

You're not going to like it, but here goes.

The Dolphins are not in the market for Owens. And they are not about to give up a first round pick, plus $10 million annually, plus a big signing bonus for troubled restricted free agent Brandon Marshall.

"I don't know if either of them make sense for our ballclub one way or the other," Sparano said. "Both are great players in their own ways, different from each other. Obviously I've had Terrell before and know his strengths. Brandon I've played against before, know his strengths.

"I'm happy with the group of players we have right now, been very productive over the last couple of years and are continuing to get better."

And I'm thinking, he's kidding, right?

Nope.

Sparano was asked again later as a new wave of reporters came to him and asked the same question about interest in acquiring Terrell Owens and Marshall. And the coach got less reticent on the topic.

"I wouldn't say, not at this time," he said of his team's interest in Owens or Marshall. "Right now we're kind of sitting back and we feel good about where we are right now. We'll see as this things goes on if all of a sudden something came to us that was tremendous. But right now I wouldn't say. We're OK where we are."

Well, where are the Dolphins exactly?

I have been told they will definitely look to draft at least one wide receiver -- perhaps in the second round if things break right. Would they draft Dez Bryant in the first round? I doubt it. But they're not ruling it out and they're definitely not ruling it out if the kid is still available in the second round -- which, believe it or not, is possible.

"I just think we need good players," Sparano said in answering a question about Bryant. When I say that, we have a lot of good players on our team, and we want to take good players. So we have to be concerned with the other things that are out there, the issues. We have to do our due diligence that way. But we have to take good players. Whether it's a receiver, whether it's a defensive back, an offensive lineman, we have to make sure that we take good player for this football team. And whether that's myself, Bill, Jeff, we've really preached this offseason. Bill and Jeff have been on a mission since the middle of last season with this draft class, preparing that way. So I just feel like more good players we can bring on the team, the more good things we can find for them to do."

Translation: I'm not ruling anybody in or out.

Finally, what is Sparano's assessment of his current wide receivers? Well, let me just tell you what he was willing to share.

"We haven't changed the receiving corps since the season ended," Sparano said. "I liked them during the season, I like that group of players. I do think that we some young players that were on the practice squad in Taurus Johnson and Julius Pruitt, and of course, Pat Turner, who didn't play and I'm anxious to see compete.

"These players did a great job every day in practice against our defense, so I'm kind of anxious to see, when you don't have those goggles on, and you not in a game week, and worried about screwing up rotations and those kind of thing. These players compete. I'm really anxious to watch that. But the top of that group, with Teddy Ginn and Davone Bess and Greg Camarillo and Brian Hartlin, I'm really pleased with what those guys have done this offseason and how hard they've worked during the course of this offseason. So we'll see as we go forward, but I would expect to see a better group of people of that group of people."

I would expect to see some difference in the group, however. That is almost certain. And Sparano pretty much admitted as much later.

"Do we want people to come in and compete? Absolutely," he said. "Do they know there's going to be someone in there to compete whether it's a younger player or the young players already on this roster? I'd say yeah. Sure they do. They know that. That's what we're festering down there right now. It's a competition. No job is safe. You got to go into training camp and you got to show us."